A sign honoring Rabbi Alter Kriegel is placed at the corners of Grove and Personette avenues in Verona. A Verona resident wants to do something similar with the township's veterans.

To honor Veronans who died while in the line of duty, Rob Caruso wants to add street signs with the names of fallen soldiers above the normal posts, located near where each former resident lived.

By Caruso's count, the township had 43 residents lose their lives while serving their country, with casualties ranging from the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. In addition, one member of the Verona Police Department, Theodore Braun in 1938, died after a car accident while pursuing a speeding vehicle at the age of 24.

Caruso brought the idea before the Township Council at a June 16 meeting, as he pointed to a similar practice in neighboring Bloomfield. Cedar Grove also features 12 street signs in honor of veterans. Even within Verona, Caruso mentioned the street displaying Rabbi Alter Kriegel's name at the corner of Grove and Personette avenues as an example of how the system could look. Kriegel, a longtime rabbi at Congregation Beth Ahm, claims the only such plaque in the township, located near the synagogue he led for years.

To keep track of the past, Caruso runs a website - veronaheroes.com - with stories of the local veterans. After some technical issues derailed the site for a time, it now is back up to six biographies.

Deputy Mayor Jay Sniatkowski said he fully supports the notion, while Mayor Bob Manley called it an "honorable cause." Councilman Michael Nochimson also said he thought the practice was long overdue.

Township Manager Joseph Martin, however, said while Caruso's idea is praiseworthy, he and Township Engineer Jim Helb had some concerns. Martin cited some aesthetic and maintenance issues to consider, and that if anything, Verona is looking to reduce the number of signs on the streets rather than increase them. His reservations had nothing to do with the military, though, as Martin said his son just deployed to Afghanistan this month and he has served in combat himself.

Councilman Kevin Ryan suggested the council add the street signs discussion to an upcoming meeting.

Each sign would cost somewhere between $850 and $1,100, with Caruso stating he found prices in the low end of the range. Sniatkowski suggested that even if the township were not able to cover the cost, then perhaps it can be paid for through private ventures.

The recent visit to the council was not the first time Caruso tried to bring the initiative to Verona, he said. Though he did not make progress at first, Caruso said he came back at the request of a relative of one of the veterans. The daughter of a World War II veteran in her 70s asked about the status of the signs. As she is currently ill and may require heart surgery, she said she would hope to see the memorials in the township while she still can, according to Caruso. Sniatkowski said the council should not let the issue linger through the summer, while Ryan added that Caruso deserves a quick answer.